经济学人下载:脱欧进程 "贵族式跳跃"(1)

Britain
英国

The Brexit Process: "Lords-a-leaping"
脱欧进程：“贵族式跳跃”

The Article 50 bill will pass, but the real debate about Brexit is yet to begin.
《里斯本条约》第五十条会被通过，但关于脱欧的真正谈判才正要开始。

It was certainly a majestic setting.
英国的上议院十分壮丽。

The House of Lords was resplendent with gilt, glass, a bevy of bishops and many geriatric former politicians crammed onto its red leather benches.
有金碧辉煌的墙壁，装饰着花纹的玻璃，上议院的红皮长椅上坐满了神职议员、年长的前任政客们。

And there perched on a parapet just below the glittering royal throne sat Theresa May, on a highly unusual visit to the upper house.
特蕾莎梅闪闪发光的御座下有一个矮护墙，在这里开始了一次不同寻常的讨论。

The reason for the prime minister's presence on February 20th was that the Lords were starting to debate the bill authorising her to invoke Article 50, the treaty procedure for leaving the European Union.
上议院开始就是否允许特雷莎·梅援引关于脱欧程序的《里斯本条约》第五十条展开辩论，于是英国首相特蕾莎梅在2月20日出席上议院会议。

Although (or because) they are unelected, the quality of their debate far exceeded that in the Commons a fortnight ago.
虽然上议院的大多数议员都是未经过选举的，但就两周前下议院同样就第五十条法案展开辩论的来看，其辩论水平远远不如这次。

Lord Hague, a former Tory leader, loudly denounced Tony Blair, a former Labour prime minister, for inviting people to “rise up” against Brexit.
前保守党领导人黑格强烈谴责前英国首相布莱尔怂恿民众“起义”反对脱欧。

Lord Mandelson, Mr Blair's close ally, responded that Brexit supporters did not want Britain to be poorer and politically isolated, and so should be entitled to change their minds.
布莱尔的亲信曼德尔森回应说，脱欧支持者不希望英国出现国力衰退，政治上被孤立的情况，当然他们也有权利改变他们的主意。

Lords Lawson and Lamont, both former Tory chancellors, attacked as undemocratic the idea of amending a bill that had not only passed the Commons unscathed but also reflected one of the biggest votes in British history.
前保守党大臣劳森和拉蒙特将此修改条款的做法视为非民主的行为，这不仅能毫发无损地通过下议院颁布这项法令，也反映了英国史上影响力范围最大的一次投票。

Even so, because the government lacks a majority in the upper house, the Lords will try to amend the bill.
即使如此，因为特雷莎·梅的保守党在上议院没有占多数席位，上议院将设法修改法案。

One amendment could demand a bigger role for Parliament.
其中一项修改是需要议会发挥更大的作用。

Another would try to guarantee the rights of EU citizens in Britain to stay put.
另一项是设法保证欧盟人民在英国的权利。

Their Lordships might even demand a second referendum on the precise terms of Brexit.
苏格兰当局就关于是否脱欧推动苏格兰进行第二次公投。

This idea was supported not just by Liberal Democrats and Scottish Nationalists but by other luminaries, including Lord Butler, a former cabinet secretary.
这个想法不仅得到了自由民主党和苏格兰民族主义者的支持，还得到了其他名人的支持，如前内阁秘书巴特勒勋爵。